


Home for a Ghost

by TheAlternativeRuler



Category: Danny Phantom, Gravity Falls
Genre: Crossover, Danny Phantom AU, Gravity Falls AU, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Phantom Falls AU, phantom falls, rated for language and occasional violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7265407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAlternativeRuler/pseuds/TheAlternativeRuler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amity Park is no longer a literal ghost-town, but to Danny, it's become a metaphorical one. With only memories left to haunt him, Danny must leave his lonely home in search of a new one. His investigations into recent paranormal activities lead him to a sleepy little town in Oregon called Gravity Falls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's a Lonely Home

**Author's Note:**

> "Home for a Ghost" is a Phantom Falls (Danny Phantom and Gravity Falls) crossover. I've had this idea brewing for a while and I finally broke down and decided to write it. I hope you all enjoy it, this is my first crossover so let's see how it goes!

It's dark.

God, it's so dark. Endless and suffocating in its massive size. A bleak existence that goes on and on and on.

It's like an ocean. A deep, dark sea. It's cold and black and the pressure is insurmountable, crushing me under its tons of lifeless weight.

I'm alone, so incredibly alone, no one's here, no one knows I'm suffering, no one is left to care.

Please, please make it stop.

~*~*~*~*

With a gasp, he bolts upright in his bed, sheets twisted around him like grasping tentacles dragging him into the depths. He kicks them away from his sweaty body, feeling a rush of freezing cold air hit his exposed flesh. Teeth chattering, he tries to calm his pounding heart, hugging his legs close to his torso to retain warmth and comfort himself.

After a few suffering minutes, he stumbles up and to the attached bathroom. He splashes water on his face and blinks wide eyes at his reflection. Acidic green stares back, faintly glowing against his inhumanly pale skin that's rippling with goosebumps. It fades to an icy blue and he shivers.

It's getting worse, no denying that any longer.

Danny rubs a shaky hand over his face, trying to chase away the nightmare he's just woken up from. Nightmares are a normal occurrence for him, but...this one was different. It felt...real.

Ignoring this realization for the time being, he gets dressed and goes downstairs to make breakfast. His hand trails along the frail stair rail, wood creaking beneath his feet as he softly steps down. Light filters in through slits between slabs of wood, thousands of dust motes dancing in the golden glow.

He pads into the kitchen, opening a squeaky cabinet door to retrieve the only food within it—a box of cereal—and reaching into the sink to grab the only clean bowl and spoon. He pours himself a bowl of cereal, no milk because the fridge isn't working (and hasn't for a while). Sitting down to eat with a sigh, he takes in the dilapidated building around him. He knows it isn't safe for him to still be living inside the old abandoned Fentonworks, but he didn't have the heart to leave it.

Danny looks sadly at the empty seats around the table, ones that used to be filled by his family members. It's been almost fifteen years, but god does he miss them. Mom, Dad, Jazz, Valerie, Tucker...Sam...they're all gone now. Have been for such a long time that somehow only feels like a few seconds.

Immortality sort of does that to you, he guesses.

The empty bowl and used spoon go back in the sink. The cereal box has been emptied too, that he'll take with him to throw out when he leaves. 

Just before he exits the kitchen, an inner voice compels him to turn and face the lab entrance. It beckons to him, a yawning maw that seems to whisper his name. For some reason, the voices sound like his friends and family, so he follows them blindly.

His eyes adjust to the darkness as he climbs down the metal steps, shoes clanking loudly against them. He hits the basement floor and it echoes around the room, empty like a ghost town. Ironic, isn't it? 

A chair is dragged to sit right in front of the ghost portal, closed and shut down by Danny just a few days after his parents' deaths. He sits and clasps his hands together, staring at the faded yellow and black stripes. This is where it all began, all those years ago. His parents' ghost lab, a simple mistake in testing an invention, three curious teenagers, and a decision that changed the lives of him and everyone he loved forever. 

His powers, amazing though they were and despite having helped him save countless lives, were a curse. Responsibilities were suddenly thrust upon him that no fourteen year old should ever have to face, pain and suffering seemed to follow his every movement, his body quite literally went through hell and back, he saw things he wishes he never had, lived through things he certainly shouldn't have, and worst of all, he is forced to continue this torturous existence. His DNA, infused with ectoplasm and imbued with the powers of spectral forces, makes sure he will never fully die. Caught between life and death, he is in limbo, floating through time without ever changing, watching things come and go and being unable to do the same.

As Danny's friends and family grew and aged and died, he never did. Instead, he watched everything he cared about disappear. His hometown filled with people he didn't know, he was the only constant, hiding among strangers so as not to attract suspicion. Danny Phantom still protected Amity Park, but he appeared less and less over the years as ghostly encounters diminished. As of now, he hadn't seen another ghost in town for...nine months? Without a nearby portal, there was no sense in continuing to haunt Amity Park. Danny Phantom would crush any ghosts that tried, but most of them knew him by now, and a begrudging respect had grown between him and his previous spiritual enemies. For the most part, they left each other alone. 

So where does he go from here?

Without regular use, his powers have sort of...built up inside him. His ghost core is starting to consume his human form, signs of it leaking into his daily life much more frequently. His mood certainly isn't helping any. Danny's powers have always been affected by his emotions, so the sense of being trapped by despairing loneliness is making the build-up of his powers that much worse. 

He doesn't want to admit it, but he knows that a large part of the problem is that he's staying here. Not just Fentonworks-here, but Amity Park as a whole. It no longer needs his protection or help, and it no longer holds anything he has ties to. Memories haunt him, feelings suffocate him and keep him caged, but wanting for freedom. He needs to leave, but...

He can't.

It just feels...wrong. Amity Park is the only home he's really ever known, he never left for longer than a family vacation or ghost-fighting mission. It's where he grew up, met his best friends, got his powers and learned to use them, fought his greatest battles. Everyone he loved lived and died here, all his memories of them were made here, and even though it's slowly killing him—at least mentally—to stay, he just can't go.

Suddenly, for the first time in years, a warm feeling floods his chest. It's like a comforting embrace and he chokes back a happy sob at the thought. It's sweet, caring, loving, and he feels incredibly safe in that moment. When it draws away it leaves his skin tingling. He looks down at his empty hands and tightens them into resolved fists.

No, he has to go. He has to leave Amity Park. Right now.

With determination in his stride, he makes his way back upstairs to his room. He shoves his belongings in an old duffle bag, along with the last of the money from the secret Fenton stash, and a sleeping bag. A picture of Danny and his family and friends sits on his nightstand. He smiles sadly at it and picks up the old frame, stroking the glass with his thumb. Gently, he wraps the picture in a t-shirt and zips up the duffle bag. 

He walks downstairs and stops at the front door, taking a deep breath. It's been...well, a really long time since he's done this.

Danny focuses entirely on the ghost core inside of him. A freezing cold feeling erupts from his center and spreads throughout his body, his ghost core exploding in a violent flash of glowing blue light and energy. His clothes morph into Phantom's jumpsuit, his eyes glow fluorescent green, and power surges through him. 

Clenching his fists to hold in the blasts of ecto energy that they long to release, Danny turns intangible. He floats through the door and flies as fast as possible out of town, knowing that he may change his mind if he stays too long. He can't resist a final look back at his home, crumbling into disrepair, but standing as tall as ever. The sun paints Amity Park in beautiful, bright colors and it's a lovely final image of his hometown.

To let out some of his pent-up energy (and to leave his mark on the place), Danny uses his ecto blasts to burn a message into the grass in front of the town's welcome sign before flying off in search of a new "haunt."

Thanks for the memories

-DP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear things up, Phantom Planet never happened, so the whole world doesn't know that Danny's a ghost. He eventually told his parents and Valerie though, and he and Sam dated for as long as possible. Danny's body stopped aging when he turned 18, so that's where he's stuck.


	2. Home for the Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my catchphrase now, but sorry for the wait! I bring Pines twins as a peace offering.

"Dipper, come down! Your father and sister are already in the car!"

"Coming, mom!"

Dipper finishes triple-checking his checklist and gives his room a casual salute in farewell. He gathers up his worn leather messenger bag and a small suitcase. After the first summer spent in Gravity Falls, he and Mabel had learned to just keep a portion of their stuff at the Shack so they wouldn't have to pack so much. This will be their third summer in a row spent up in Oregon with their great uncles Stan and Ford. The two old men always come back from their sailing adventures during the summer to see their favorite niece and nephew.

The stairs are ignored entirely, Dipper opting to just slide down the railing. He bounces onto the floor, holding his bags close to his body so they don't fly out of reach. His mom is waiting by the front door, rolling her eyes fondly at her son's eagerness. Dipper grins sheepishly and kisses her on the cheek. "Bye mom, I'll see you in a few months!" 

"Goodbye Dipper, be good for your great uncles, okay? Don't get into too much trouble in that sleepy little town." She smiles and ruffles his hair. Dipper can't help laughing after that statement. Oh, the things she'll never know.

His mom opens the door, watching her family from just outside the house. Dipper puts his bags in the trunk and hops into the back with Waddles (dammit Mabel, stop calling shotgun all the time!) who oinks happily.

"Sorry guys," he says, shutting the door behind him.

"No worries, broski," Mabel says with a grin. Dipper isn't the only excited one, both Pine twins can't resist the call of Gravity Falls. They've been sucked in ever since that first summer.

"Ready to go, kids?" their dad asks. 

"Yup!" the twins respond simultaneously.

Their dad chuckles and backs out of the driveway. Mabel opens the window and blows kisses to their mom, waving happily. Mom catches each one with a soft smile, throwing back kisses of her own before she walks back into the house.

A (trashy) pop song comes on the radio and Dipper can't help but hum the lyrics to himself, tapping his foot in time to the beat. Mabel notices, of course, and starts singing at the top of her lungs. Her brother blushes and chuckles, joining her because why not? It's summer and he's getting three months at his favorite place in the world.

Dad laughs heartily, turning up the volume and opening all the windows. The jovial Pines procession makes its way to the bus station loud and proud.

The car lumbers to a stop in the parking lot. Mabel jumps out with a "whoop!" of noise, bedazzled rainbow-colored backpack in hand, before running to the other side of the car to grab Waddles. Dad turns off the engine after she'd already escaped, chuckling to himself before getting out of the car. Dipper was the last one, being careful not to hit anyone or anything on his way out and then grabbing his bags out of the trunk.

Dad locks the car and the four make their way inside the station. The bus to Gravity Falls is already waiting there, as empty as it always was. 

Dipper looks around, sighing at the familiar, bittersweet setting. Sure, he's incredibly excited to leave for Gravity Falls, but he'll miss home too.

Mabel grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing his hand reassuringly. Dipper smiles at his twin, and they turn to face their dad. He's smiling softly at them, opening his arms for a hug.

The twins are wrapped in Dad's hug, all of them trying to make the moment last.

"I love you both so much, please be good and be safe," Dad whispers.

"We will," Dipper says quietly.

"Yeah, we promise!" Mabel adds.

"Okay." Dad lets go and they stand there looking at each other for a moment before Dipper and Mabel take a deep breath and turn to the bus.

"Let's go," Dipper says.

"Way ahead of you, bro-bro!" Mabel shouts, running towards the bus with Waddles trotting behind her. She attracts some odd looks, but of course she isn't paying attention and if she noticed, she wouldn't care in the slightest.

Dipper laughs and runs after her, glancing back to give a final wave to his dad.

Once they're on the bus, the driver closes the door and pulls out, knowing that they're always the only passengers.

Dipper settles down against the window with a murder mystery while Mabel pulls out her sketchbook and pencil case. Waddles is on the seat across from them, curled up and sleeping already.

~*~*~*~*

A few hours into the trip has Dipper finished with his book, while Mabel has filled three whole pages of her sketchbook with cats drawn in different styles. 

He sighs happily, watching the scenery fly by them. It's changed from entirely buildings to some amount of greenery now, so he knows they're getting closer. It's a long 12 hour bus ride, but completely worth it in the end.

"Hey Mabel, wanna watch a movie?" he asks his sister, pulling out his phone and earbuds.

"Sure!" She puts away her art stuff and grabs the right earbud from her brother.

"What do you wanna watch?" He pulls up his list of downloaded movies and scrolls through it.

"Mmm…something to put us in the mood!" she decides.

"Okay…oh, I know the perfect movie to watch."

He scrolls until he finds it, clicking the icon and turning his phone till he's holding it horizontally. The cover image pops up as it loads, and Mabel shakes her head and laughs, "Paranorman, huh?"

"Don't you even dare judge, Laika makes good movies and you know it," he says with a small glare.

"Okay very very true," she amends.

The screen loads and the movie starts up, so they turn to the small handheld screen and watch.

~*~*~*~*

They're only a handful of hours away now. After the movie, Mabel fell asleep on Dipper's shoulder, holding Waddles in her lap. He put everything away and settled in for a nap too, resting his head on top of hers. 

The blur of the forest—now rarely interrupted by buildings—lulls him to sleep, memories of adventures through the years flitting through his mindscape.

So close now…


End file.
